Method of and apparatus for producing a spray



OCA, 6, A936. E. Y. WHEELER 2,056,240

METHOD oF AND APPARATUS Fon PRODUCING A SPRAY Filed sept. 28, 1954 .76fg'c'a/n i, lyose i I l l 34 Z, v i Kes- /'f/b u I A Il .50 fain; a mayya En" y vPatented Oct. 6, 1936 Marilou oF AND APrAnATUs Fon l raonUcmGA sraAY Freeman Y. wheeler, Beverly-nun, cam.

.application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,865

s claims. (ci. a99-sii My invention relates to apparatus for applyingliquid detergent in the form of a mist or spray.

One form of such apparatus which is in commercial use utilizes a no w ofsteam under fairly high pressure to effect the dissemination andapplication of a detergent to a surface to be cleaned and includes anelectric-motor-driven pump for injecting the detergent into the steamlines. This apparatus is very satisfactory excepting that considerableexpense is involved lin providing it with the motor and pump, andconsiderable inconvenience suffered in always having to run an electriccable to the motor to supply this with electrical energy.

It is accordingly an-object of my invention to provide an improvedapparatus of the general type above described'in which the motor andpump may be eliminated without impairing the efficiency of theapparatus.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing object as well as furtherobjects and advantages will be made manifest in the followingdescription -I3 in which an axle Il is Journalled, the latter havingwheels l5 which rest upon the floor. Secured to front ends oi''themembers I2 are supporting feet I9. The feet I9 are braced tothemembers I2 by braces 22. L

Secured upon the 1frame .members I2 as by bolts are the legs 26 of atank supporting base 21. Fixed to the base l2'I and resting thereon is atank 23 which comprises the liquid detergent orA cleaning solutionreservoir of my invention. Secured to the tank 28 on the opposite sidefrom the legs I9 is a handle 29.

Mounted on thefront face of the tank 28 is a steam and detergent mixingunit 3U. This unit is clearly shown in Fig. v2 andincludes a detergentpick-up pipe 3| and a steam supply pipe 32 "'*32-fare'connected by acontrol valve 35. 'I'he opsteam pipe 32 and formed integral therewith isa steam diverting pipe lll.

The detergent pick-up pipe 3| connects directly with one end of acleaning spray hose II which is provided at its other extremity with acleaning spray nozzle l2 as clearly shown in Fig. l. The detergentpick-up pipe 3| has a detergent injecting pipe I3 opening thereinto andformed integral therewith. n i

The mixing unit also includes a steam valve 50 which is connected by anel w 5| and nipple 52 to the steam inlet 53 oi' a s eam injector 54.This injector is of any o! the well known types but is vpreferably aPenberthy injector which is Well known inthe art and which is ordinarilyutilized in the injection oi' water into steam boilers. Because theconstruction of the injector 54 is well known, a further description ofthis is believed unnecessary beyond noting that it has besides the steaminlet 53 a water discharge opening 56, an overflow passage 51, and awater inlet' opening which is. connectedv by suitable fittings with avalve 58. This valve has a pipe 59 which extends throughthe wall of thetank 28 and downwardly so its lower end is just above the bottom of thetank where it is provided with a strainer 60. The water dischargeopening 56 is connected by suitable iittings including a check valve 6|and an adapter 62 with the detergentdischarge pipe I3. The operation ofmy invention is as follows:

Operation Theapparatus I0 is adapted to be used in connection with asupply of steam (which is generally provided by a system of pipes andvalves not shown), thev steam hose 38 being attached to said source'sothat steam under pressure varying from twenty pounds to the square inchto two hundred pounds tothe square inch (depending upon the amount ofpressure required in the cleaning operation) is delivered to the mixerunit 30 through the steam hose 33.

The tank 23 is ilrst filled in the ordinary manner by pouring thereintoa liquiddetergentor cleaning solution of any desired characteristics,such as a solution of soap in soft water or a hy-v drocarbon derivativesuch as gasoline.

When the steam hose 3B is lled with live steam and the apparatus I0 isout of use the,valves 35 and 50 are both turned ofi. To cause a sprayofthe liquid detergent in the tank 28 to be delivered under pressure o fthe steam in the hose 33 from' the nozzle 42 the valve y5|! is firstopened to permit 'steam to be fed i'rom the steam pipe 32 into 65 theinjector u. The valve sa 1s now opened to" permit liquid detergent to.beadmitted from the tank 28 into the injector 5l. At the commencement ofthe operation of the injector 5I there is a slight overiiow through thepassage 51, after which the liquid detergent is fed through the ywaterdischarge opening 55, through the check valve 6i, and through thedischarge pipe I3 into the detergent pick-up pipe 3l. As soon as thecessation of overilow through the passage 51 of the injector 54indicates vthe feeding of liquid force of the steam through the hose 4Iand disl charged from the nozzle l2. l

By suitable regulation of the valves 35, Bil, and 58, a spray may besecured from the nozzle 42 with any desired amount of detergent and withany desired portion of the steam pressure available in the hose 38utilized in the ejection of thev spray from the nozzle.

The valve 35 is extremely helpful in starting the operation of themixing unit 38, yet this valve may be practically entirely opened afterthe injector 54 has started to discharge liquid detergent into thepick-up pipe 3i and a suitable ieed of detergentlnto the pipe Simaintained.

It is to be understood that the apparatus of my invention is adapted tobe used with hot or cold liquid detergent and with either high or lowpressure steam supplied through the hose 38, although a steam pressureof about seventy-five pounds is preferable. The term "steam is usedherein to broadly cover all forms of vapor under superatmosphericpressure. In some circumstances I have found it advantageous to force awet or saturated vapor through the steam supply hose 38, the free vaportherein being sufilcient in such a case to operate theinjector 54 andfeed detergent from the tank 28 into the detergent pick-up pipe 3i. Thedetergent thus injected into the stream oi' saturated vapor thoroughlymixes therewith and results in a much wetter spray being emitted fromthe nozzle 42 than where dry steam is used. Such a wet spray is highlydesirable in meeting certain cleaning problems.

Y.Another very important advantage of my invention hereinabove describedis that I am able to connect the hose 38 with steam lines varyinggreatly in steam pressure and still obtain a llow of steamv through thehose 4l at a uniform pressure regardless of the pressure in the hose 38.This' is accomplished by regulating the degree which the valve 351sopened during the operation of the device.

While I do not wish to limit myself to any specinc theory of theoperation of the method or apparatus of my invention I desire to statethat my present best understanding of the operation of the injector 56is as follows: 'This injector may be a standard Penberthy injector, suchas is well known in the art and which is commonly used for theinjecting'of water into boilers, thejinjector being actuated by steamdelivered from the' boiler into ,which the injector injects water. Asthe steam enters thednjector through the pipeV 52 it passes through asmall nozzle and expands in a conhed space to a pressure which is lessthan atmospheric) thereby causing liquid detergentto be sucked upthrough the pipe 58 into this confined space.

This liquid detergent, which "is many times the v weight of the steaminvolved, lcondenses the steam, and the resulting mixture, which is nowI hot detergent solution, acquires enough energyI from the latent heatof vaporization of the steam to build up a pressure greater than theinitial steam pressure in the pipe 32 and thus force its way into thedetergent pick-up pipe 3|.

What I claim is:

l.. In a cleaning apparatus the combination of: a liquid detergentreservoir; a pipe adapted to allow relatively free passage therethroughof a suiilcientvolume of steam to form a substantially high velocitystream to be used for cleaning purposes when discharged into theatmosphere,

said pipe comprising a detergent pick-up pipe; a steam pipe forsupplying steam under pressure to said pick-up pipe; a control valveconnecting said steam pipe to said pick-up pipe; a steam lnjector; avalved pipe connecting the water inlet of said injectorto saidreservoir; a valved pipe connecting the steam inlet of said injector tosaid steam pipe; and a pipe connecting the waterunder-pressure outlet ofsaid injector with said pipe through said wall and downwardly adjacentthe bottom of said reservoir; and a screen covering the outlet on thelower end of said valved Awater pipe. e

3. In an apparatus for cleaning a surface by a spray of detergentdirected thereagainst, the 35,

combination of: means for conning and conducting a continuous stream ofsteam to a given point and for releasing said stream o1' steam fromconiinement at said point and discharging said stream at ay relativelyhigh velocity; means forming a liquid detergent reservoir; a steamoperated water injector; means for connecting the water inlet of saidinjector to said detergent reservoir; means for connecting the wateroutlet oi' said injector with said first-above-mentioned means; andmeans for diverting steam from said ilrst-above-mentioned means at apoint in advance of its connection with said injector and conveying thesteam so diverted to said injector to operate the same to draw liquiddetergent fromk 5o said reservoir and inject the same into saidrstabove-mentioned means at the point where said injector is connectedtherewith.

4. The method of producing a cleaning spray which comprises: confiningand conducting a continuous stream of steam to a given point, re-flleasing said stream of steam from conilnement ,at said point anddischarging said steam from said point at a relatively high velocity.diverting a portion of steam from the aforesaid confined so stream,permitting said portion of steam to expand rapidly to a pressure lessthan atmospheric, confining the space in which said expansion takesplace, providing a' tank'of detergent, connecting said space with saiddetergent to cause said sub- 05 first aforementioned stream of steamthereby i permitting pressure built up by energy acquired from thelatent heat ofl vaprization of said diverted portion oil steam tovforcesaid detergent from said confined space into said ilrst aforementionedstream of steam thereby causing said de- 'l5 tergent "to mix therewithand be discharged as a spray.

5. The method of producing a spray in which steam is -used. as a vehicleand in which a liquid is disseminated. throughout said steam in iineiydivided condition which comprises: confining and conducting a rapid andcontinuously owing stream of steam to a. given point, releasing saidstream of steam from connement at said point` so as to discharge saidsteam into theatmosphere at a relatively high velocity, providing a.reserve body of `the aforesaid liquid, diverting a portion of steam fromthe aforesaid confined stream, ex-

panding said diverted steam into a confined space,

connecting said space wit said reserve body of liquid and with the rst aorementioned stream of steam beyond the point of diversion from thelatter as aforesaid, utilizing the principle of the injector to injectsaid liquid into said stream v of steam thus causing said liquid to mixtherewith and be diffused therein and be discharged .l with said steamat said point in the forming of 1n.

the spray.

FREEMAN Y. wrmmma.

